Monday's Insane Most Interesting Chops

I'm hoping to start a few weekly topics here on "Whatever You Like."  So, with that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and kick it off with a little subject entitled: "Monday's Insane Most Interesting Chops," or "Mimic's" for short.  In my opinion, it's pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you're not following me, it will include random tidbits I come across or that are sent to me that I deem worthy of viewing by all my loyal followers (or by my not-so-loyal followers... you know who you are).

The first Mimic came to me via email from Moms.  It deals with an experiment conducted by Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten in which he explores how one's environment changes people's perception of quality.  More specifically, "he enlisted renowned violinist Joshua Bell, a winner of the Avery Fisher Prize for outstanding achievement in classical music who regularly undertakes over 200 international engagements a year, to spend part of a morning playing incognito at the entrance to a Washington Metro station during a morning rush hour."

I bet you're thinking, "Wow, that's a pretty interesting idea!  I wonder what happened..."  Well, that's why this is my first Mimic ever!  

Well I'll tell you what happened.  Joshua Bell played six classical pieces for about 45 minutes on his 1713 Stradivarius violin (which only cost him a mere $3.5 million...), earning $32.17 from 27 of the 1,097 people who passed by.  Seven people stopped to listen.  One of them recognized Mr. Bell.

Now, sad as this may be, I'll admit that my first reaction after reading this story was, "Whoa!  $32.17 in only 45 minutes is pretty damn good for a street performer!"  I guess this speaks to my current economic situation.  However, I will say that part of my amazement was that, even though he is one of the best violinists in the world, when I began reading about this experiment I originally thought he probably wouldn't earn much of anything.  When I'm on my way to work I usually have my headphones on, and I'll admit that I don't usually enjoy the garbage that most subway "musicians" have blaring from their speakers.  Add to that the fact that probably 25-50% of the time it's a touch-and-go situation and I don't have time to dilly dally and soak up the ambience of the subway and its musicians, regardless of how good or bad they might be.  How sad is it that I would most likely pass up or barely pause to watch a great performer if it meant I was going to be late for an NBC studio tour???  Geeeeeeez....  I mean, that is just downright wrong, in addition to being sad.

So, to conclude this Mimic, I think the important thing to think about is this:  What's really important in life?  Being 10 minutes late to another day at the office, or enjoying something beautiful that you might not get another chance to see and appreciate?  Obviously there's a balance here as there is with anything in life, but I hope that in the future I don't get too caught up in my own daily troubles, worries and work to appreciate the little things in life.

The second Mimic was sent along to me from Patches, and while I have no idea if it's true, I found it hilarious and at least worthy of a quick read.  It's an Amazon book review of the book "The Promise."  I don't want to ruin the surprise, so check it out here.

How great is that??  And the comments are priceless...

"Does every copy of the book come with a free 'xxxx'?"

"Every book you get in prison does."

Alright, I realize these Mimics might have been a little lacking, but don't worry, there's nowhere to go but up.  I'm just setting myself up for success by making your giving you low expectations for each weekly Mimic post.  Cheers everybody.